Two-In-One Exercise Assembly

ABSTRACT

Exercise equipment and toys are provided for a portable piece of exercise equipment that enables a user to perform a cardiovascular workout and develop the abdomen simultaneously. Further, the exercise assembly does not require electrical power to operate, but rather operates from the momentum generated by the user. The user generates momentum by pumping the arms, which crates rotation that twists the torso in a reciprocating path, i.e., left-to-right. Thus, the assembly may be portable, non-powered, and configured to enable both cardiovascular and abdominal workouts through a twisting motion, and from a standing, kneeling, or sitting position.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present Utility patent application claims priority benefit of theU.S. provisional application for patent Ser. No. 62/439,104 entitled“Two In One Exercise Assembly” filed 26 Dec. 2016 under 35 U.S.C. §119(e). The contents of this related provisional application areincorporated herein by reference for all purposes to the extent thatsuch subject matter is not inconsistent herewith or limiting hereof.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains materialthat is subject to copyright protection by the author thereof. Thecopyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyoneof the patent document or patent disclosure for the purposes ofreferencing as patent prior art, as it appears in the Patent andTrademark Office, patent file or records, but otherwise reserves allcopyright rights whatsoever.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is illustrated by way of example, and not by wayof limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings and in whichlike reference numerals refer to similar elements and in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary exercise assembly, showing an exemplarybase portion, disc, pair of shafts, and a pair of handles, in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates an exercise assembly, showing an exemplary supportportion adjacent to the base portion, disc, pair of shafts and a pair ofhandles, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 3 illustrates an exercise assembly, showing a support portionjoined with a base portion of the exercise assembly, in accordance withan embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 4A, 4B, 4C and 4D illustrate an exercise assembly, showing thearms having a slide-on locking mechanism, in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention.

Unless otherwise indicated illustrations in the figures are notnecessarily drawn to scale.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SOME EMBODIMENTS

The present invention is best understood by reference to the detailedfigures and description set forth herein.

There are various types of exercise equipment and toys that may beprovided by preferred embodiments of the present invention. In oneembodiment of the present invention, an exercise assembly may provide aportable piece of exercise equipment that enables a user to perform acardiovascular workout and develop the abdomen simultaneously. Further,the exercise assembly does not require electrical power to operate, butrather operates from the momentum generated by the user. The usergenerates momentum by pumping the arms, which crates rotation thattwists the torso in a reciprocating path, i.e., left-to-right. Thus, theassembly may be portable, non-powered, and configured to enable bothcardiovascular and abdominal workouts through a twisting motion, andfrom a standing, kneeling, or sitting position.

Those skilled in the art will recognize that previous exercise equipmenttargeted only one area of the body. The exercise assembly disclosed hereprovides a two-in-one workout system that allows a user to separatelyworkout the cardiovascular system and abdominal muscles. Because theexercise assembly is a two-in-one workout system, setting up for acardiovascular workout and an abdominal muscle workout may be performedsimultaneously. The exercise assembly may also be disassembled, i.e.,broken down, and stored in a convenient carrier case.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary exercise assembly 100 positioned on aground surface for operation. The assembly may include a base portion102 that is configured to support the weight of a user. The base portionmay include a concentrically positioned base aperture. In oneembodiment, the base portion is a generally rectangular, heavy blockwhich may be made of but not limited to metal that provides a foundationfor the assembly.

In some embodiments, a disc 104 may be configured to join with the baseportion. The disc may be circular. Though in other embodiments, othershapes may be used. In one embodiment, the disc has a diameter between18 inches to 24 inches. The disc may include a disc aperture. The discmay include a concentrically positioned disc aperture 106.

In some embodiments, a rotating mechanism may join with the baseportion. The rotating mechanism may rotate freely about the baseportion. One exemplary rotating mechanism may include, withoutlimitation, a lazy Susan. The disc may fixedly join with the rotatingmechanism. In this arrangement, the rotating mechanism positions betweenthe base portion and the disc. The disc is in rotatably communicationwith the rotating mechanism. The base portion is fixed and independentof the rotating mechanism.

In some embodiments, an axle may extend perpendicularly through the discaperture of the disc and the base aperture of the base portion. In oneembodiment, the apertures have a diameter of about ¾″, or a size adaptedto receive the axle. The disc, resting on the rotating mechanism, mayrotate freely about the axle. In this manner, the disc may be configuredto rotate freely about the base portion up to 360°.

In some embodiments, a pivot mechanism 110 a, 110 b may be disposed tojoin with the peripheral region of the base portion. The pivot mechanismmay be configured to pivot in a reciprocating path about the baseportion. In some embodiments, the assembly may further include a pair ofshafts 108 a , 108 b that pivotally join with the pivot mechanism. Theshafts are disposed in a parallel, spaced-apart relationship, extendingup from a peripheral region of the base portion. Thus, when a usermounts the disc, the shaft are disposed laterally, and to the fore ofthe user. The pivot mechanism enables the shafts to pivot forward andrearward about the base portion. The resistance to the pivot may beadjusted with an adjustment portion 122. The adjustment portion mayadjust the resistance to the point that the shafts are substantiallyprevented from pivoting.

In some embodiments, the assembly may further include a pair of handles112 a, 112 b that fixedly join with the base portion. The handles aredisposed in a parallel, spaced-apart relationship, extending up from aperipheral region of the base portion, and adjacent to the shafts. Thehandles may include a generally U-shape that the user may grip. Thehandles may not extend in height as much as the shafts. The handles,similar to the shafts,

In operation, a user may position on the disc by sitting, kneeling, orstanding. While on the disc, the user may manipulate the pair of shaftsin a forward and rearward direction to generate momentum that rotatesthe disc in a reciprocating, quarter turn path. As a result of themomentum generated in the disc, the torso of the user is forced to twistwith the disc in a reciprocating side-to-side manner. The arms of theuser are also working to manipulate the shafts, and thereby generatingthe momentum on the disc. This motion provides the user with the dualbenefit of a cardiovascular workout and an abdomen developing exercise.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exercise assembly, showing an exemplary supportportion adjacent to the base portion, disc, pair of shafts and a pair ofhandles. In additon to the rotating disc that rotatably joins the baseportion and provides the momentum for exercising, the assembly mayfurther include a support portion 114 that elevates the user. Thesupport portion may be disposed to position beneath the base portion.The support portion may be fixedly rested on a ground surface. Thesupport portion enables the user to sit, kneel, or stand on the discfrom an elevated position while manipulating the shaft. This createsdifferent angles for developing the abdomen and also provides differentresistance levels for adjusting the cardiovascular workout.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exercise assembly, showing a support portionjoined with a base portion of the exercise assembly, in accordance withan embodiment of the present invention. In one aspect, the supportportion may include a stool having a platform 116 and at least one leg118. The leg may be height adjustable. An aperture may be concentricallydisposed through the platform to enable passage of the axle. The weightof the user inhibits the support portion from rotating with the disc.

FIGS. 4A, 4B, 4C and 4D illustrate an exercise assembly, showing thearms having a slide-on locking mechanism, in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention.

In some embodiments, the assembly may be configured to easily assembledand disassemble with minimal amounts of tools. The base portion may joinwith the support portion through a unique attachment process. A firstStep may include the base portion, which may include a geo-metric shapedfoundation or other shape that may include two smaller bases installedon top of the far left end above foundation and another installed on thefar right end of the above foundation.

A subsequent Step for assembly may include drilling the disc aperture,which may include a ¾″ hole or other size through the center of thedisc. Another Step comprise installing the pivot portion, or pivotinghardware on both ends of the base portion. Yet another Step may includeinstalling the shafts, or pair of adjustable handles to the pivotportion installed on the peripheral region, or the far right and farleft of the portion. The, the shafts may be maneuvered forward andbackward.

In some embodiments, a Step may include providing a circular discapproximately 18″-24″ in diameter or a different dimension. A furtherStep comprises drilling the disc aperture through the disc at about ¾″or another size in the center of the circular disc or a different shapeddisc. A further Step may comprise installing the rotating mechanism,which may include a lazy Susan or similar mechanism on the bottom sideof the disc. A Step may then include installing the same rotatingmechanism that is attached to the above disc onto the middle of the baseportion. This may enable the user to stand on top of the disc holdingboth handles while twisting the torso from left to right, whether seatedor standing or to perform other physical workout maneuvers.

In some embodiments, a Step may include providing a support portion,which may include an elevated foldable stand or another elevatingmechanism. The support portion may include 1′×1′ square flat foundationor it could be of a variety of other dimensions. A Step may includedrilling a ¾″ support aperture or another size hole will be drilledthrough the center of the support portion. The support aperture mayalign with the base and disc apertures.

A further Step may include positioning the disc and the base on top ofthe support portion to perform the elevated cardiovascular and abdominalexercise. Those skilled in the art will recognize that to ensure theequipment is safely balanced and centered, all three apertures must bealigned allowing the user to see the floor through all three pieces ofthe equipment. Once all three apertures have been aligned, a fastener,which may include a single screw may pass through all three apertures tosecure the base portion and the support portion together. This may allowa user to be seated upon the assembly safely.

The invention has been described above by way of illustration, and thespecific embodiments disclosed are not intended to limit the inventionto the particular forms disclosed.

What is claimed is:
 1. An assembly, said assembly comprising: a baseportion, said base portion being defined by a peripheral region, saidbase portion comprising a base aperture; a pivot mechanism, said pivotmechanism being disposed to join with said peripheral region of saidbase portion, said pivot mechanism being configured to pivot in areciprocating path about said base portion; a pair of shafts, said pairof being disposed to extend from said pivot mechanism, said pair ofshafts being configured to pivot in said reciprocating path about saidbase portion, whereby manipulation of said pair of shafts enablesmomentum to be generated; a pair of handles, said pair of handles beingdisposed to extend from said peripheral region of said base portion,said pair of handles being configured to fixedly join with said baseportion, whereby manipulation of said pair of handles enables momentumto be generated; a rotating mechanism, said rotating mechanism beingdisposed to join with said base portion, said rotating mechanism beingconfigured to enable rotation up to 360 degrees; a disc, said disccomprising a disc aperture, said disc being disposed to fixedly joinwith said rotating mechanism, whereby said disc rotates in conjunctionwith said rotating mechanism; an axle, said axle being configured topass through said base aperture and said disc aperture, whereby saiddisc rotates about said axle when momentum is generated; and a supportportion, said support portion being configured to enable fixed joiningwith a ground surface, said support portion further being configured tosupport said base portion.